Shelf brackets tend to be used to support shelves in a generally horizontal orientation extending outward from vertical surfaces. Shelf brackets commonly are formed from a single material and in a single piece, such as from a stamped and bent steel sheet. Such shelf brackets are configured to have a support arm, on which a shelf will rest, and an integrally formed connector. The integrally formed connector of a conventional shelf support bracket typically includes a plurality of vertically aligned and spaced apart hook portions that are insertable into respective vertically aligned and spaced apart slots of a conventional standard. A standard may be mounted to a vertical surface, such as a wall, a backing panel or the like, by fixing members, such as screws or other suitable fasteners. Once the hook portions are inserted into the slots of the standard, the connector is moved downward to have the hook portions engage and be supported by the standard.
To provide sufficient strength, prior art shelf brackets typically are constructed of a single strong and rugged material, such as steel. By comparison, materials that might otherwise be used for more architectural or stylistic purposes, such as die cast aluminum, zinc, molded plastics, ceramics or wood, generally do not permit the formation of hook portions having adequate strength to permit even modest load capacity. In addition, shelf brackets constructed solely of such alternative stylish materials would tend not to bend when over loaded, but rather would tend to have a failure mode that would be catastrophic, because the hook portions would tend to fracture without fore warning and in a manner that would result in a complete collapse of the shelf bracket, risking injury to persons and to possessions placed on or below the shelf.